May 17, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was recently asked, by CBS’s 60 Minutes, about the war against Libya. He replied that the United States was not legally/technically at war with Libya (that would take a declaration of War by Congress). Instead Gates says the U.S. is engaged in “limited kinetic action” against Libya.
Gates is not the first U.S. official to make such a reference to the war against Libya.
Rumors say that President Barak Obama’s speech, on peace between Israel and Palestinians, will be a let down for those seeking statehood.
While Obama is expected to ask Israel to stop new settlements, he’s also expected to ask Palestinians to stop seeking statehood. He will give the speech on Thursday, May 19.
May 18, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, says the United States faces a new Cold War if it continues to push its “missile shield” across eastern Europe.
Medvedev says Russia will have no choice but to increase spending on its military, especially nuclear weapons: “We would then be talking about developing the offensive potential of our nuclear capabilities. This would be a very bad scenario.”
The U.S. has repeatedly said the missile shield system is aimed at Iran, but it’s very suspicious that most European countries that have agreed to host the U.S. system, are in eastern Europe facing Russia.
Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture has discovered that pasture grass, throughout the prefecture, is contaminated with radioactive cesium.
As much as 1,500 becquerels of cesium has been found. The national safe limit is 300 becquerels. All farmers/ranchers have been warned not to graze their livestock on the grass.
British military commanders have confirmed that they have been given “blunt warning” from U.S. commanders. The “warning”, call it a threat, is against the United Kingdom’s planned withdrawal from Afghanistan.
British military leaders say the United States has actually told them to ignore any orders from their U.K. government to withdraw from Afghanistan.
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron wants to start drawing down U.K. troops in Afghanistan, starting in July 2011. British media are reporting that U.S. generals have warned their British counterparts not to follow those orders. This is another sign that the United States has no intentions of leaving Afghanistan.
One report says the British were told that they could not count on the U.S. to “bail them out” if they began withdrawing their troops. Another report says British commanders in Afghanistan were told they needed to stay until at least 2014.
President Barak Obama is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military. If “his” officers are threatening the British it must be at his command.
Reporters Without Borders say they have proof that Israeli soldiers intentionally targeted a photographer, who was clearly identified as a journalists.
The incident happened May 17, while Palestinians were protesting in northern Gaza. The photographer was hit several times by Israeli soldiers. He is in the hospital in critical condition.
China reporting that U.S. investments in China has dropped 28%. Some analysts blame rising labor costs. However, other foreign investments into China have actually increased.
Most economists think the decrease in U.S. investment is only short term, but admit it is connected to the bad economy in the United States.
May 17, Chinese media reporting that clashes have broken out between Irish protesting Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland, and turncoat Irish police.
Pics show protesters trying to break through police lines with a garbage dumpster set on fire. Another pic shows a turncoat cop, in full riot gear, squashing an Irish woman to the ground.
Many protesters are throwing rocks at traitor cops, in images that look like something out of Palestine.
May 17, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that China has sold off another $9.2 billion in U.S. sovereign debt (bonds). This makes the 5th month in a row that China has offloaded U.S. bonds.
At the same time China turned around and bought $2.9 billion in Japanese bonds.
“This visit is part of a carefully orchestrated campaign to normalize British rule and the enforced partition of Ireland. Irish Republicans will actively oppose this visit in order to send out the clear message that British rule and the partition of Ireland will never be either normal or acceptable.”-Sinn Féin
The oldest Irish political party, Sinn Féin, along with the Irish Republican Army and the Socialist group Eirigi, have all come out with statements, or acts, against the visit of the Queen of England to Ireland.
Eirigi has executed the queen’s effigy. Several IRA members have been preemptively arrested for comments made before the queen’s visit. Bomb threats have been made, as well as fake and real bombs found.
The queen still has several days left in her visit to Ireland.